By the end of the summer, Ozon plans to expand its collaboration with Kazpost: making it possible to deliver parcels to every post office in the country and using the national operator’s courier service for delivery. Previously, residents of Kazakhstan were able to receive orders from Ozon at hundreds of AlemTAT pickup points and through private courier services.
Delivery to Kazpost offices is free; the minimum order for customers from Kazakhstan is about KZT 5,800 (EUR 11.6). Customers can choose the most convenient Kazpost office when placing an order on Ozon’s website or through its application.
“Our partnership with Kazpost will enable us to improve delivery terms for customers across the country in short order. Now customers from the most remote regions in the country can receive orders from Ozon within walking distance from their home. Further development of logistics will enable us to drastically reduce the time needed to deliver millions of Ozon marketplace items to Kazakhstan,” says Yegor Isaev, Head of International Business Development at Ozon.
“We are taking into account how the world is changing as well as trends and customer preferences. The pandemic has increased the pace of processes that had already begun. E-commerce and online services in particular have grown exponentially. Kazpost, with its expansive infrastructure and well-built supply chains, is developing rapidly in this direction. In order to develop e-commerce and create convenient options for our customers, we are partnering with domestic and foreign e-commerce platforms. In this context, Kazpost is committed to a fruitful partnership with the largest marketplace [in Russia], Ozon,”said Kanat Alpysbayev, Chairman of the Management Board at Kazpost.
The average delivery time to post offices in the central regions of Kazakhstan will be five days. In this regard, since August, Ozon has mainly been offering local customers items that are stored in warehouses closest to the country. Ozon’s primary fulfilment centre for Kazakhstan is located in Yekaterinburg.
Ozon users from Kazakhstan have access to the site’s entire range of products, with the exception of oversized items. In the first quarter of 2021, unit sales in the country increased more than fivefold year-on-year. Residents of Kazakhstan typically purchased food and everyday items – such as coffee and tea or baby formula – through Ozon. Demand for baby food, sporting goods, jewellery, and garden and cottage supplies has seen the sharpest rise. Residents of the Akmola region are Ozon’s most active customers in Kazakhstan, followed by residents of the Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions.
In addition to developing its service for shoppers, Ozon is also improving its platform for sellers in Kazakhstan. Since May, entrepreneurs and small businesses in the country have been able to deliver goods directly to customers in Russia through their own logistics services or through third-party carriers. In the near future, Ozon is also planning to provide its own list of logistics partners that will be able to transport goods from Kazakhstani businesses to Russia, while also establishing infrastructure where businesses can hand over goods for delivery.